Not a fan of the decision to cast Affleck as Batman

Thursday

Casting a movie featuring characters that already have an existing fan base is even harder.

Casting a movie with Batman, a character already richly fleshed out and with decades of source material under his utility belt, is arguably the absolute hardest task any director has to do.

When director Zack Snyder announced at San Diego ComicCon in July that the “Man of Steel” sequel would feature Batman, I could barely believe DC was finally having Superman and the Dark Knight team up on-screen, the first step toward a Justice League movie that could go toe to toe with Marvel’s Avengers films.

This was about a month after I’d seen “Man of Steel,” my picky little soul finally completely happy with the characterization a superhero movie provided. My hopes were astronomically high.

After this past week, however, I’m not so sure.

The decision to make Ben Affleck the next Bruce Wayne went public — and my heart sank.

To make things perfectly clear, I do not agree with the casting decision Warner Bros. has made at all.

I’ll be even more honest and say Affleck is actually one of my favorite actors — but only in films he also directs. Both “Argo” and “The Town” stand as two of my favorite movies, and the awards and nominations for both speak for themselves.

However, in a best-forgotten 2003 production entitled “Daredevil,” Affleck portrayed superhero Matt Murdock, and subsequently won a Golden Raspberry for worst actor.

To be fair, three years later, he gained critical acclaim as George Reeves, the first actor to play Superman, in the film “Hollywoodland.”

Despite that, and despite his previous success with acting and directing, Affleck’s past with superheroes scares me just a bit.

Of course, I’m not exactly easy to please when it comes to the character. The only Batman I’ve ever been completely happy with was a cartoon, voiced by Kevin Conroy in the “Arkham” games, “Batman: The Animated Series” and various animated films.

Adam West’s Batman is an entirely different animal, Michael Keaton comes close, and Val Kilmer isn’t even on my radar. I think we all hold the same opinion about George Clooney’s stint as the Caped Crusader, and Christian Bale was a terrific Bruce Wayne, but his characterization as Batman himself was pretty shaky.

That’s the biggest thing to think of here. Bruce Wayne is not Batman. The playboy billionaire is merely a skin he puts on. Yes, his name is Bruce Wayne, but Batman is really who the man is, and you need to be someone who understands that fully in order to play him successfully.

I don’t think Affleck has the voice, the appearance, the ability to bulk up or the demeanor to play Batman opposite Henry Cavill’s Superman, who harnesses the character so well. He just isn’t intimidating enough, no matter how you put it.

Then again, we all said the same about a man who is now known for his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger. Fans were outraged that the “gay cowboy” of “Brokeback Mountain” fame was to play the most complex and appreciated villain ever created. He went on to win an Academy award, along with dozens of other awards for the role few thought he belonged in.

With that in mind, all I can do is hope, and wish Affleck the best. I will be skeptical to the end ... and I will forever wish Jon Hamm had landed the role.

At the end of the credits, though, Affleck will still be Batman.

The only question left is if he will truly be Batman.

Another view: Affleck will be fine

Honestly, it’s not a bad casting. If Affleck just plays the role like he did Daredevil in the awful “Daredevil” movie (which wasn’t his fault), it will be fine.

But you could have John Hamm — or anybody else — as Batman; as long as the same creative team is there, or they don’t change their ways, it won’t matter.

But if the filmmakers inject the slightest bit of levity into the production and don’t center the entire film around Batman fighting Superman, Affleck could make a pretty good Batman.

— Carter Glace,

Pennsbury High School

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